By Brian Livingston
A Russell woman was arrested and ordered by a Lauderdale County judge Monday afternoon to never own horses or cattle after a hearing regarding her alleged treatment of seven horses formerly in her care.
Tina Marie Hall, 41, of 1319 Steven Boulevard, was taken into custody by deputies of the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department and charged with six counts of animal confinement/deprivement of food or water. She was placed on $3,500 bond. She later bonded out of jail.
Lauderdale County Judge Frank Coleman also ordered Hall to pay $2,500 to Coyote Hills Stable. The animal rescue organization is currently caring for the seven horses. Coleman ordered the ownership of the horses be transferred to Kim Blanton who is owner of the stables.
Coleman said in the order handed down during the hearing that Hall was denied possession of horses and to never own other horses or cattle. One other horse owned by Hall, according to the court document, was also seized from a different property. Coleman said in the order the conditions in which the horses were forced to endure were totally preventable and inexcusable.
The hearing Monday was the civil side of the case. The charges in which Hall was arrested are part of the criminal aspect of the case. Hall has yet to appear before a judge concerning the criminal charges. Lauderdale County Attorney Justin Cobb said Tuesday morning Hall could face up to six months in jail for each of the six charges against her.
"This is a misdemeanor crime," Cobb said. "This was very disturbing to see the condition of these animals. They didn't do anything wrong but the outcome of all this is the horses won't have to go back into those same conditions."
In the order signed by Coleman, the judge ruled the covered barbed wire pens were much too small for the size and number of horses being kept there. This confinement, he said in the order, led to the horses standing in their own waste for weeks at a time thereby contracting infections and other illnesses and suffering from malnutrition.
Last week the last of the horses was removed from the Hall's property after reports of alleged animal abuse was reported by county officials and concerned citizens. Coleman said in the court documents testimony was heard by him from several witnesses who all agreed the conditions in which the horses were kept constituted maltreatment, and at the very least, severe neglect.
Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department Chief Dep. Ward Calhoun said at the time county authorities were notified of the complaints and an investigation was initiated concerning the alleged abuse. Calhoun said officials of the department seized the horses after the county attorney drew up the seizure papers and they were signed by a judge.
Officials with the LCSD then turned the horses over to the East Mississippi Animal Rescue League. The seven horses were then transferred to Coyote Hills Stable where they have been cared for ever since.
Cobb said a hearing for Hall on the criminal charges for animal cruelty will likely be held in a couple of months.
